Brentwood Press - Index

Brentwood Press - BrentwoodPress_10.10.08 - Index

OCTOBER 10, 2008 COMMUNITY BRENTWOODPRESS.COM | 25A
Pilgrimage from page 1A
locals, she added, did not often say hello, but
were friendly when words were exchanged.
One of the fellow pilgrims she met had
an especially strong impact on her, albeit
through only a brief encounter.
“I came around a bend and he was
leaning on his walking stick, singing into the
woods, receiving the joy and appreciating
the beauty of creation,” she recalled. “It was
very touching.” In her brief conversation
with him, she learned that he was on his way
home to Belgium, and had made the pilgrimage
fi ve times.
It occurred to Easton that pilgrims like
him had been making the trek for more than
a millennium, and while the stone buildings
and walls lent an ancientness to the trail, she
realized that, in at least one respect, there
was a signifi cant difference. Other than her
Belgian acquaintance, nobody she met was
walking home. “That’s not the way it was in
the Middle Ages,” she said. “Once you got
to Santiago de Compestela, you had to walk
(or perhaps ride your mule) all the way back
again.”
Easton said her quest for a “deeper faith
relationship with God” was also accompanied
by a desire for journalistic, historic,
religious and spiritual learning. And while
she was able to achieve most of those things,
it was learning of the unexpected kind that
provided her lightswitch moments.
“I got lost, took a wrong route on the
fourth day,” she said. “When I got about a
mile along, I came to a fork in the road and
knew I had it wrong.” No signs were posted
there to guide her, which told her she was off
Solar from page 1A
was among the speakers at the event. “The city of Brentwood
should be proud to have this in their community,” he said.
“They have really jumped the shark on energy effi ciency.
This is a great day for the environment,”
The homes, which will go on sale this Saturday, currently
include three-bedroom models between 1,368 and 1,778
square feet starting in the low $200,000s. Four-bedroom
models up to 2,424 square feet begin in the high $200,000s.
Executive homes up to 3,516 square feet are also planned.
All the buildings are installed with solar panels, tankless
water heaters, 2x6-inch exterior walls with R-19 insulation,
and Solarban windows that block up to 70 percent of the
sun’s UV rays. Together with a special wrap protecting
against air and moisture infi ltration, the homes exceed the
state’s Title 24 energy-effi ciency requirements by at least 35
percent, Tim Tutt of the California Energy Commission said
at the event.
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the well-marked trail. It was drizzling, and
she began to worry about her stamina.
“I don’t know why I got so upset, but I
started to weep,” she said. “I was wet, feeling
lousy, feeling stupid, and the words came out
of me, I don’t know from where: ‘Lord, help
me to forgive myself.’ I hadn’t thought about
the journey being about forgiveness, and it
surprised me that part of what I was being
offered on this pilgrimage was a deeper appreciation
of being forgiven.
“We can’t control what kind of transformation
we’re going to get, and I didn’t
think forgiveness would be part of mine. But
it turned out it was.”
Her arrival in Santiago also resulted
in her getting lost. Exhausted from the trip
and distracted by the hustle and bustle of the
modern city after days of peace and quiet,
she was befriended by two fellow pilgrims
who saw she needed help.
“They could see my need and they shepherded
me into the cathedral,” she said. “It
was a blessing because I knew I was going to
make it, and I could concentrate again on the
pilgrimage, not on the path.”
The next morning, she entered the “the
most ancient-looking cathedral I have ever
seen” and wept with joy as she received her
Compestela. She participated in the Catholic
mass held for pilgrims every day, surrounded
by many of the people she’d met along the
way: Marta, a Dutch teacher who’d covered
1,700 miles on her journey; an Irish couple
who’d made the pilgrimage each of the last
four years; Andre, a lawyer from Rio de
Janeiro, who wanted to understand how to
be a better man; and the Polish family who
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dedicated their pilgrimage to a son who had
recently died. The joy at seeing them all at the
mass, though, was also tinged with sadness.
“You feel sad for the people who
touched your life along the way, but who
weren’t there,” she said.
Her fi nal lightswitch moment came
at the realization of how her life had been
changed by her experience. Her discovery of
the need to grant herself forgiveness led to
a reconciliation of a long-standing rift with
her family. “It was profound,” she said, adding
that it has brought her a great deal of
peace.
“I’m much less anxious than I was be-
Each building produces much of the power it consumes,
said Aaron Nitzkin, vice president of OCR Roofi ng’s Solar
Division, which is installing the systems. On low-usage days,
PG&E meters will spin backward, he said, building up credits
for use when demand is higher. The savings extend not just
to the pocketbook, but to the environment as well.
“Over the course of 25 years (the period the solar
panels are warranted for), this community will reduce CO 2
emissions by 45.1 million pounds, the equivalent of planting
121,000 trees,” he said.
Nitzkin said he expects the energy-effi cient homes will
help the project buck the real-estate slump.
“Pinn Bros. are making a bold move in this market,”
he said. “But I believe there is a pent-up demand for energyeffi
cient, solar-powered homes. There’s something very
empowering about the ability to produce your own power.”
That ability also improves a house’s resale value, he added,
citing an Appraisal Journal study that showed for every $1
After completing
her journey
along the ancient
pilgrimage
route known as
The Way of St.
James, Alexis
Easton poses
outside the
cathedral that
marks the spot
where tradition
claims the
bones of the
Apostle James
were found.
The scallop shell
symbol that
marks the trail
can be seen at
her feet.
Photo courtesy of
Alexis Easton
fore. I feel less like I don’t have enough time
to do things.” The peace has manifested itself
in at least one signifi cant, tangible way:
she quit biting her fi ngernails.
“It sounds trivial, but it’s a huge thing,”
she said. “I’d been doing it since kindergarten,
but look at them now. They’re getting
prettier every day.
If you would like to learn more about
the Camino De Santiago, Easton recommends
“The Way Is Made By Walking: A
Pilgrimage Along The Camino De Santiago”
by Arthur Paul Boers (2007) and “A Pilgrim’s
Guide to The Camino De Santiago”
(Camino Frances) by John Brierley (2007).
in electricity savings per year, the building’s value increases
by $20.
Other earth-friendly attributes of the subdivision include
moisture-sensing sprinkler systems that will prevent overwatering
and help save an estimated 20,000 gallons of water
per year. Also, more than 50 percent of the construction
waste will be recycled, and all wood will come from a certifi ed
sustainable source.
Mayor Bob Taylor, whose home is also solar-powered,
said he expects that the project’s benefi ts are likely to catch
on.
“Other builders in this town are going to see this as
something they ought to look in to,” he predicted.
The Palmilla sales offi ce is located at 346 Pacifi ca Drive
in Brentwood. For more information, call 925-634-9497 or
925-632-4205.
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brentwoodpress.com.